China Southern Airlines has ordered 12 Boeing 787-9 aircraft in an effort to facilitate its rapid international expansion. The deal is worth $3.25 billion at list prices, according to a filing released by the Guangzhou-based carrier through the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

The 787-9s are scheduled to be delivered between 2018 and 2020. Five aircraft will be delivered in 2018, four in 2019 and three in 2020. The transaction still needs China Southern shareholder and government approval.

China Southern was the first Chinese carrier to introduce 787-8 aircraft in 2013. The carrier operates 10 787-8s on international routes from Guangzhou to London, Rome, Vancouver, Perth, Auckland and Christchurch, as well as on two business-focused domestic routes from Guangzhou to Beijing and Shanghai.